


Ib Ending One-Shots

by hondatohru14



Category: Ib (Video Game)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-30
Updated: 2017-09-18
Packaged: 2018-02-15 08:51:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 19,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2222949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hondatohru14/pseuds/hondatohru14
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Little things about the various endings; some of them go into character a little bit, and others are basically just me writing down the ending because I couldn't think of a way to expand on it. There are even a couple that aren't based on actual endings; I wrote those just because. Also I don't think it'll ever really be complete b/c I'll probably just keep thinking of more things.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Forgotten Portrait- Garry

“Ugh… I hit my head…” Garry sat up groggily. He looked up to find Ib in front of him. “Ib… Are you okay?” She nodded, and he heaved a sigh of relief. “Ah! That’s good. At any rate…”  He looked around. “This place is full of scribbles… Is this the toy box? We fell in from the upper floor…” His expression darkened. “After she pushed us… Well, let’s look for the key and get out!” He looked back at Ib, who looked white as a sheet. “You look kind of pale. Are you really okay?”

“I can’t find my rose…” Garry’s eyes widened, and he started glancing around, trying to spot it.

“What?! That’s not good at all! You had it before, so it must be in the toy box somewhere! Let’s find it!” He really was worried about her. He had come this far with Ib and had actually grown quite fond of the nine-year-old. As they were walking around looking for her rose, he felt something under his foot. He bent down and picked it up. It was the pink key. At least it was something, but it wasn’t her rose.

“Ohhhh, what’s this? A present for me?” His head whipped around to the familiar voice. Mary. She was speaking to a blue doll that was handing her something. When he realized what it was, it sent a chill down his spine. It was Ib’s rose. “Yaaay, it’s so preeetty! Can I have it? Oh, thank you!”

“That… it can’t be…” He ran towards her, Ib trailing behind him. “Mary!” She looked up.

“Oh, Ib and Garry! Did you find what you were looking for?” Neither answered. “ But anyway, lookit! I just got this! Pretty, isn’t it!” Garry swallowed nervously.

“Mary… That… That rose…” Mary looked at it, then her eyes widened.

“Ohhh, you mean this is Ib’s? I thought I’d seen it before!”

“Mary, please… Give that back to Ib.” Mary looked disappointed.

“Huh?… I wonder…” She turned to Ib. “Ib… You want this back?” Ib nodded, her eyes wide. She was so pale she might have been mistaken for a ghost. Mary smiled. Garry swallowed. He didn’t like the look on her face. “Well… Hmmm… Wanna trade Garry’s rose?” Garry’s heartbeat shot through the roof, and butterflies quickly found a way to his stomach. Ib stood still. “Garry’s rose is blue, right? I like red and all, but I like blue even mooore!” Mary gestured to the doll next to her. “See? This doll’s blue! Isn’t she cute? And I know Ib likes to pet cute things!” Garry felt a drop of sweat roll down the side of his face. “…So? Wanna trade?” If he didn’t trade, he would be handing Ib’s life over to Mary. And yet, if he gave her his rose, he knew she would destroy it. She absolutely hated him, that much was obvious to anyone. And he knew this was exactly what she wanted. He glanced down at Ib, who was staring at him. She obviously didn’t want him to do it, but she didn’t want to die either. He couldn’t bear to look at her.

“…Don’t give me that look, Ib…” He glanced away, knowing perfectly well what he had to do. He had to make sure Ib got out. She had so much more of her life to live than he had of his. He looked back at Ib and attempted to smile. “Don’t worry… I’ll be fine. Just leave it to me.” He turned to Mary, trying to keep his voice from shaking. “Understood. Please, give me Ib’s rose in exchange for mine.” Mary looked him dead in the eye.

“Really? You sure?” Garry wanted to hope that he would somehow live through this, that he and Ib would both make it out somehow. But he knew that was impossible. He looked her in the eye right back. “Yes.” The exchange was over in the blink of an eye. Garry stared at Ib’s rose. He couldn’t make himself look at Mary, who started to laugh and then ran away. He closed his eyes. He had to be strong. For Ib. He turned and knelt down in front of her, and gave her rose back to her. “Be careful with it…”

“I’m sorry…” Ib was looking at him, on the verge of tears. Garry looked at her in surprise. He tried to be cheerful. For her.

“Why are you apologizing? You didn’t do anything wrong, Ib. Right? So don’t look so down!” He felt the first pangs of pain. Mary had started already. He was running out of time. Be strong. Be strong. “And my rose… Well, we’ll just catch Mary and get it back! Let’s do our best! I know we’re almost there!” He hoped Ib didn’t see past the mask of cheerful confidence he had put on. He looked around, and realized everything had a blue tint to it. Not only that, the complacent dolls suddenly looked menacing; the mannequins, terrifying; and the mannequin heads were floating and prowling. And the pain was getting worse. “Wh-What…?! What’s with these guys? Ib, be careful!” He and Ib ran, with him guiding her to the stairs that Mary had taken. As soon as they reached the steps, the artworks abandoned the chase. He and Ib slowed down, then he felt a new burst of pain on his side, accompanied by bone-chilling words of a children’s game.

“Loves me…” Mary’s words echoed in the hallway. He glanced down. Ib didn’t seem to notice his flinch.

“Loves me not…” A groan escaped him, and Ib started walking faster. They weren’t going to make it.

“Loves me…” Garry stumbled and fell on his knees. He couldn’t even walk, nor could he pinpoint where the pain was even coming from; it was everywhere. Ib stopped walking and knelt beside him.

“Ib… um… Sorry, but… Could you go ahead?” She didn’t move. “I’m… uh… I’m sorry… I don’t really know what to say…” He couldn’t tell her he was about to die, she was only nine. And yet… “I don’t want to lie to you… But I… don’t want to tell the truth either…” He could hardly hold himself upright. “If you need help… I’ll come running…” He wouldn’t look Ib in the face. “Go on… ahead…” After a pause, he saw that she got up, and he heard her footsteps echo in the hallway as she left him.

“Loves me not…” He dragged himself over to the wall, and leaned up against it. His breaths had become shallow and ragged.

“Loves me…” He felt something in his pocket, weighing on his chest. He shakily reached in it and pulled out the object. His lighter. He should’ve given it to Ib. She could’ve used it… He hoped she would make it out.

“Loves me not…….!” He couldn’t move anymore. He couldn’t even feel pain anymore.

“LOVES me!”


	2. Forgotten Portrait- Ib

Ib stood up. This couldn’t be happening. No, she had to get to Mary. Now. She turned and ran down the hallway.

“Loves me not…” She was running out of time. She started up the stairs. _He_ was running out of time!

“Loves me…” Almost to the top! Hurry! Hurry!

“Loves me not…!” Made it!

“LOVES me!” She rounded the corner at the top of the stairs just in time to see Mary pull the last rose petal. She froze and stared at the bare rose stalk. Mary didn’t seem to notice her as she tossed the stalk on the floor. Ib just stood there, she didn’t know how long, numb with shock. She suddenly realized Mary had said something and was heading out of the door. Ib ran to the mess of petals on the floor. No, she had to be dreaming. She must have passed out again. This was just another nightmare. She got up slowly, then turned back toward the stairs. She had to know. She slowly walked down to the hallway where she left Garry. She dreaded what she would see, but she had to know for sure. She didn’t know why she was doing this. Maybe she still had some hope that Mary was wrong, that Garry was wrong, and that he would still be alive. She rounded the corner at the bottom of the stairs, and looked down the hallway. He had moved! He was sitting up against the wall! She started to walk towards him, but her walk quickly became a run. Yet the closer she got, the more she noticed that was wrong. He wasn’t moving at all. His hand was limp on the floor, and his head was down. She slowed down as she got closer, hoping that somehow he would look up, smile at her, that he would be perfectly fine. But he didn’t move. She stopped next to him. He still didn’t move. She reached down and shook his shoulder.

“Garry?” No response. She shook him again. “Garry, come on. Move! Tell me you’re ok!” Still no response. A tear fell and landed on his coat. “Garry, please move! Please…!” She realized his coat shoulder was wet. She was crying. She backed away from the limp body. No, no he couldn’t be dead. He was just… sleeping! He was just sleeping! And he’ll catch up to her later, he said he would! Ib looked down and noticed he had something in his hand. She reached down and picked it up. His lighter. Had he meant to give it to her before he… before he fell asleep? Why would he want to do that? She suddenly put two and two together. Mary was a painting. And Ib now had a lighter. She started to put it in her pocket, then realized there wasn’t any room. Her skirt had tiny pockets, and there was already something in it. Two somethings: the candy Garry had given her and the pink key. She pulled the candy out and put the lighter in, then stared at the candy for a moment. Lemon wasn’t her favorite flavor, but… He had given it to her. She unwrapped it and popped it in her mouth, then turned away from Garry and headed towards the stairs, refusing to look back.

When she reached the pile of petals, she noticed yellow rose vines covering a set of stairs that wasn’t there before. Was there something behind them that Mary wanted to hide…? She walked closer. They had thorns, so she couldn’t pull them down. She thought for a moment, then reached in her pocket and pulled out the lighter. This should work. She lit it and held it up to the vines. They burned away quickly, leaving her a clear path. She followed the hallway up the stairs into a long room. The opposite end was littered with dolls, mannequin heads, sketchbooks, and crayons. And framed on the wall was an incomplete painting with broken glass from the frame on the floor in front of it. Was that the painting that Mary had come from? Ib started to walk towards it when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around to find Mary herself coming up the stairs.

“Who’s there?” She stopped in her tracks when she saw Ib. “Ib!! What are you doing?! Why… and how did you get into this room…?” Ib stared resolutely at her. “You can’t… can’t be here! Please, leave now…” Ib stayed put. Mary’s expression hardened. “Now…!” Ib refused to move, giving Mary a defiant stare. “Now! NOW! NOOOW!!!” Suddenly the ground shook, and red cracks shot across the floor, coming from Mary. Ib stepped back, startled. Mary pulled out her pallet knife. “LEEEEEeeeEEEeeAVE!!” Mary ran towards her, knife ready. Ib ran away from her, towards the painting. Now she had no choice. She had to burn it. She pulled the lighter back out and prayed that she was right about the painting. She reached it and held up the lighter. She glanced back to see that Mary had stopped and was staring at her. “Ib..! Please! STOP!” She flicked the lighter on. Mary screamed. Ib shut her eyes and clasped her hands over her ears, dropping the lighter, which flickered out.

When Ib opened her eyes, Mary was gone. Where she had been standing was just a pile of ashes with the palette knife on the floor next to it. She looked at the spot in the wall where the painting had been, and found only a burnt mark on the wall. She picked up the lighter again and put it back in her pocket, then walked back down the stairs and out through the door. She was back on the pink crayon-colored paths. Her feet seemed to lead themselves down the path to the house in the middle, and her hand moved on its own to pull out the key and unlock the door. She stepped inside to find a dark room with a staircase in the middle. As she walked down, it became darker and darker until she could hardly see a thing. She made it down the seemingly endless stairs and turned the corner at the bottom. By this time, her eyes had adjusted and she could just barely make out where she was. She was in the lobby of the art gallery. Her heart beat quickened, and she darted up the stairs, heading to the mural. When she reached it, she realized it had changed. It now showed the gallery that she had come from, and the nameplate description had now changed as well. It now said “Once you go in, there’s no going back. All your time here will be lost. Will you still jump in?” She looked up at the painting to see a flash of light come from it, then the frame disappeared. She wanted more than anything to get out of here, but she didn’t want to leave Garry. And yet she knew that if she never left him, she would never leave. She closed her eyes, and stepped back to take a running jump into the painting. She was about to go when she heard a familiar voice.

“Ib…” She stopped and turned to where the voice had come from, and gasped. Garry was there! Garry was standing there, alive and well! “Ib!!” It seemed too good to be true, but she couldn’t stop a smile from spreading across her face. He stepped closer. “I was looking for you…! You went off on your own! I said I’d catch up, didn’t I? Sheesh… I was worried.” Ib didn’t say anything. Something seemed… off about him, but she couldn’t pinpoint what it was. “Anyway, Ib! I think I found an exit!” Her smile was slowly fading. He stepped closer again. “It’s not here, it’s over there. Wanna go check it out?” She looked at the painting. This was obviously the exit… But she had trusted Garry. And yet her instincts insisted that she shouldn’t trust him. She swallowed nervously and shook her head. Garry looked taken aback. “And why not? We might be able to get out!”

“I think this painting can take me out.” She was certain of that. Garry’s expression hardened.

“How would you know for sure?” He almost looked menacing now. “Come on, let’s go! Come with me!” Ib flinched at his harsh tone. This wasn’t like him. This couldn’t be him. Garry was … asleep. She remembered reading about hallucinating. If that was true and this wasn’t Garry, then… There was nobody there. He would never come back to her. A single tear slid down her cheek as she turned from him towards the painting. “Ib…!!” She started running towards the painting, and felt fingertips brush her shoulder, just barely missing her. She jumped through to find nothing but a blindingly bright light, and she fell. She closed her eyes tight and waited for the impact.

 

 

Ib blinked her eyes open and looked around. She was standing in front of a huge mural on the second floor of the art gallery. For some reason, she couldn’t remember what she had just been doing. She started walking through the halls, wandering around, until one painting caught her eye. She walked closer to get a better look at it. The name plate labeled it as “Forgotten Portrait”. It showed a man with purple hair and a blue coat asleep, leaning up against a wall. Ib couldn’t help but feel like she had seen him before, but this was the first time she had seen any of… what was his name again? G… G… Gretina? No. Gertena? Something like that. It was the first time she had seen any of his art; it was impossible that this man in the painting would be familiar to her.

“Ib!” She turned around to find her mother behind her. “There you are! Sheesh… I was looking for you! We should look around together! We all came, after all…” Ib smiled sheepishly, then realized how dry her throat was.

“I’m thirsty, Mommy.”

“Ah, right! When we’re done here, I’ll have your father get you something to drink!” Her mother smiled. “Yes, let’s do that!” Her mom started to head towards the stairs, and Ib followed. She suddenly stopped and looked back at the portrait. Somehow, she felt drawn towards it. She was about to go back to it when her mother called out for her again. “Ib! Hurry up!” Ib knew better than to disobey her mother; she briskly turned around and followed her mother down the stairs.


	3. Ib All Alone

Ib walked quickly up the stairs, checking behind her to make sure “Mistake” wasn’t following her. It didn’t seem to be. She breathed a sigh of relief, then looked ahead to see another sculpture. She looked its plaque. “Final Stage”. The rope blocking it off spanned the length of the whole room, but there was a passageway on the other side. She had to go through the roped area. She looked for an entrance, and found one blocked by a table with a vase on it. She had only two petals left, so she stuck her rose in the vase to restore it, then pulled it out and pushed the table aside so she could get through. She stopped as she got closer to the sculpture. It looked like a bed. Ib let out a yawn. She didn’t even realize how tired she was. Just a short nap wouldn’t hurt… She laid down and was surprised at how comfortable it was. Her eyes closed.

 

“Ib…” Was someone calling her name? The voice sounded vaguely familiar…

“Happy birthday, Ib!” It was her mother. “Hee… I’ll treat you today! Here’s a cake with your favorite strawberries! Special just for today!”

“Congrats, Ib!” Her father was here, too. “Nine already… You’ve grown! You used to be such a small girl…” She remembered now. This was her most recent birthday…

Her mother spoke up again. “There’s still a lot more to go, huh, Ib?”

Her father smiled. “Yeah, I look forward to it!” She remembered that she was holding a present from her father. “Hm? Hey, you… Ahaha, you found it… Well, this is a little early… But hey! A birthday present from your father! Go on, open it!” There was a crinkling of wrapping paper. It had been a giant stuffed rabbit. She loved it instantly. “Well, Ib? There aren’t many bunnies that big out there!”

“Now, honey…” Her mother sounded slightly irritated. “Didn’t I tell you she was too old for stuffed animals?”

“Huh? Did you?”

“I did! Ib’s room is already full of bunnies as it is! It hardly needs more!”

“W-well, but…” Ib hugged it. “L-look! Ib loves it!”

“Ugh… Fine…” Her mother sounded defeated, but she brightened up quickly. “Anyway, Ib, here’s my own present!”

Ib was becoming less and less aware of her surroundings.

“A handkerchief with your name on it! I had them make it at the store.”

“A lace handkerchief…” Her father sounded slightly surprised. “Isn’t that a little… soon for Ib?”

“She’s fine! She’s very careful with things. We won’t need to buy her new ones very often! So of course I want her to have good things early on.”

“I suppose…”

She was completely alone in darkness, nothing but voices around her.

“…Oh, Ib, are you sleepy?” Her mother’s voice sounded calming.

“You were really having fun… You must be tired, right?”

Their voices were slowing down, or maybe it was just her imagination… “Heehee,  maybe  so… How  about  you  rest,  Ib?  We  can  keep  partying  when  you  wake  up,  okay?”

“Yes,  that  would  be  nice.  Sleep  well,  Ib…” She couldn’t open her eyes.

“Good  night…”

 

 

 

In a certain art gallery in a certain city, there supposedly is a mural. There are many rumors surrounding this mural. Some say it was their favorite piece in the gallery, others claim to have no memory of it. Of those who claimed to see it, only a few noticed a difference. The mural had changed. Or maybe it hadn’t. Maybe, the whole time, it did have a little girl on a black bed, painted in the corner, with red rose petals all around her, and a bare rose stalk falling from her hand. Of all of these people, only two seemed to be really affected by it. It is said that whenever they saw it, they burst into tears. Many think that it is simply the beauty of the piece. And yet others, though they are few and often disregarded, speculate that it was caused by the mural’s possible change, that maybe the painted girl looks like one the couple had lost. But these theories are brushed off by most, listened to by few, and believed by even fewer. Yet no matter who told it, there was always one detail that never changed. When the couple would see the mural, there would be one word they uttered, the same every time.

“Ib…”


	4. Ib All Alone- Garry

Garry hopped into the mural, then turned back around to face Ib. “Yes! I’m really in! Hurry up, Ib!” Ib walked up to it and readied herself, but stopped when she heard a familiar voice.

“Ib…” She backed away from the painting and looked in the direction the voice had come from. Her mother appeared, almost materializing from the darkness in the gallery. Garry, however, didn’t see her. There was nobody there to see.

“Ib? What’s wrong? Come on!” Ib looked back at Garry, who smiled reassuringly at her, then waved at her to come to him. She looked back at her mother.

“Ib! I finally found you! Sheesh… I was looking everywhere! Don’t just go running off places on your own! Your father’s waiting for you too, see? Let’s go, Ib!” Garry’s smile faded.

“Ib! Hey, what are you doing?! Hurry up and come over!”

“Ib! How many times have I told you? Don’t go following strangers!” Garry stood in front of Ib.

“Hey, it’s not scary, okay? You’ll be fine!”

“Ib! Listen to your mother! Don’t go with some stranger! Do you never want to see your mother and father again?” Garry crouched down.

“Ib! I’ll pull you over!” Ib looked back and forth between the two, who both spoke at once.

“Come with me…” “Grab my hand…”

“Ib!!” She made the mistake of looking at her mother, who had a sad expression on her face, as if she knew she would choose Garry over her, and Ib couldn’t stand it. She suddenly realized her mother had a point. Why should she choose someone she had just met over her parents, who loved her and raised her? She started to walk towards her mother.

“…Huh? Wait…” Garry stood up. “Where are you going?! Ib!” Garry tried to get to her, but realized the painting was one-way. He couldn’t get back to her. He pounded frantically on the invisible surface that was separating him and Ib. “Hey! IB!!” She continued walking nowhere with no one, as if in a trance. “IB!!!” But she was already gone. “…come back…” He put his face in his hands, tears forming in his eyes. “I promised… we’d make it back together…” He started punching the wall. “Let… me… THROUGH!” But it was no use. He stepped back, defeated, but there was nothing to step on to, and he screamed when he started to fall into a blindingly white abyss, and he shut his eyes.

 

 

 

Garry blinked his eyes open and looked around. He was standing on the upper floor of the art gallery. For some reason, he couldn’t remember what he had just been doing. He glanced down at his wristwatch and realized he needed to leave. He reached in his pocket for a cigarette, then remembered he didn’t have any with him, so he reached in his other pocket for the alternative: a lemon candy. Somehow, he must have lost it, because it wasn’t there. He sighed, slightly off-put, and started to leave the gallery. As he walked by the reception desk, he overheard a worried couple trying to find their daughter. He found himself stopping and listening to them, though he didn’t know why. The child was described as a nine year old with long brown hair and red eyes, wearing a red and white school uniform. He suddenly noticed the tears running down his face, and quickly wiped them off with his sleeve. _I should have been more responsible._ He blinked, realizing what he had just thought, then corrected himself. _No, she’s their child._ They _should have been more responsible._ He walked out of the doors. _My, losing a child in an art gallery. The girl must be terrified._ He shook his head as he strolled down the street, heading home. _Poor thing._


	5. Together, But Not Forever

“Am I out? Did I make it… outside?” Mary looked around. She certainly seemed to be outside. She turned from the giant mural and started to walk around, growing happier with every step. There were people- actual people!- everywhere. She began looking for Ib’s parents- no wait, now they were her parents too. She walked downstairs and saw them in front of the registration desk, and promptly ran over to greet them. As she got closer, Ib’s mother- her mother- noticed her. She turned and a smile grew on her face.

“Hello, Mary. Are you enjoying the gallery so far?” Mary nodded, not quite sure what to say. She had always imagined this moment, having parents and being able to talk to them and interact with them and love them, and have them love her back. Her stomach grumbled and she looked down in surprise. She had never been hungry before.

“Mommy, I’m hungry.”

“My, talking of dinner already, Mary?” Her mother’s eyes seemed to smile when she talked, and Mary thought they were beautiful. Her mother was beautiful, her father was handsome, and her sister wouldn’t remember a thing about the gallery. About Garry. This was going to be perfect.

“Well, it’s cause I’m hungry!” Her mother smiled.

“Well, we can wait for Ib here. If you’re hungry already, I’m sure she won’t be far behind.”

“Oh, I saw her just a few minutes ago! She should be here in no time.”

Fifteen minutes later, she volunteered to go look for Ib, a request that her father granted. She made her way back upstairs, keeping an eye out for Ib, until she reached the mural. She looked at it, expecting Ib to come through at any second. Suddenly she spotted something that made her heart drop to her stomach. _That can’t be… No. No, she can’t be…!_ The mural had changed. In a small corner, there was now a brown-haired girl sleeping on a black bed. Red flower petals were painted around her, with a bare rose stalk lying on the floor next to her. _No…!_ She backed away from the mural, then turned and began frantically running throughout the gallery, searching for Ib, praying that it wasn’t her. When she was stopped by a security guard for running, tears were already streaming from her eyes. The guard’s expression changed from stern to concerned.

“What’s wrong? Have you lost your parents?” Mary shook her head.

“My… my sister… she’s…” Mary burst into fresh tears, unable to tell him what had happened. He wouldn’t believe her. The guard looked around, nervous about all the attention she was attracting, then turned his attention back to Mary.

“Can you tell me where your parents are?” Mary nodded and pointed in the direction of the reception desk. “Alright, how about I take you to your parents, then.” She went with him without complaint, now completely quiet, silent tears falling down her face. When they reached her parents, they looked shocked at Mary’s expression and immediately rushed to them, fussing over her.

“Mary, what happened? Are you okay?” The guard cleared his throat.

“She said something about her sister…” Their eyes widened, and they looked down at Mary. Her father crouched down to Mary’s level.

“Mary, I need you to tell me. Did something happen to Ib?” Mary sniffed and cleared her throat. She couldn’t tell them the truth. They could never know.

“I… I can’t find her is all.” She looked down at the floor, trying to will the tears back. Her father stood back up, looking relieved.

“Well, I’m sure she’s here somewhere. If we all look, I’m sure we’ll find her. Here, how about we split up and meet here in half an hour? Surely somebody will have found her by then.” All Mary could do was nod. As her parents started to walk away, she simply stayed. There was no point in searching. They would never find her. They would never know where she had gone. Tears threatened to well up in her eyes again and she fought them back. This was wrong. This shouldn’t have happened. She was supposed to be here with her new parents and Ib and they were all supposed to go home and have fun and play games and eat and talk and grow up together. They were supposed to be together forever. Now it would never happen. And Mary couldn’t help but feel that it was somehow her fault.


	6. Ib All Alone- Garry 2

                Garry strolled over to the small box. “I wonder what’s in here…” He opened it up to find a black key. “Another key? How much more is there to this place…?” He turned to see that Ib was no longer right behind him. He turned toward the sculpture in the middle of the room to see that she was laying on the bed. “Ib, maybe you shouldn’t…” He got closer and realized she was already asleep. That was fast. He might as well let her sleep; she hadn’t rested at all the whole time they were in the gallery. He moved the blanket to tuck her in, and froze when a red rose petal fluttered to the ground. He slowly and carefully pulled the blanket off to find another rose petal lying next to Ib. He reached down and picked up her rose gently. Maybe he had to keep it out from under the blanket, where it could be knocked around if she moved. He readjusted the blanket, then moved towards the wall. Another petal fell. Garry stopped. Was something happening to Ib in her sleep? He quickly walked back to her and shook her. “Ib! Wake up!” She kept sleeping. “Ib! Come on! We need to go, now!” Another petal fell. “Ib!!” She still didn’t move. He had to get her rose to a vase, fast. He thought he remembered there being one in the previous room, and he ran, carrying the rose as gently as he could. Another petal fell. He rushed down the stairs, almost falling in his hurry. There was the vase! He ran over to it and stuck the rose in, and nothing happened. The last petal had already fallen.

In a numb shock, Garry just stood there, hand still on the rose stalk, until he was knocked to the ground by the Mistake painting, who continued running past him. It didn’t seem real. This couldn’t be happening. She couldn’t be gone… But her rose petals had all fallen off. He slowly pushed himself upright, and gently picked up Ib’s rose stalk and tucked it in his pocket. He trudged back up the stairs to the room he came from, and when he got to the piece of art, he couldn’t make himself simply walk past it. He glanced down and saw Ib lying there peacefully, no sign of pain on her face. He checked her pulse to be sure. Nothing. She was asleep, and she was never going to wake up. “I’m so sorry, Ib… I broke my promise…” He shakily sighed, tears threatening to appear, then turned and walked toward the passageway.

 

 

 

Garry blinked his eyes open and looked around. He was standing on the upper floor of the art gallery. For some reason, he couldn’t remember what he had just been doing. Feeling slightly disoriented, he wandered around the gallery until one painting in particular caught his eye. He got closer to it and read the plaque. “In the Shadows of Memory.” Interesting title. But when he saw the picture, his breath stopped short. It was a portrait of a young brown-haired girl sleeping on a black diamond-shaped bed, with red rose petals painted around her. It was beautifully done, but that wasn’t what stopped him. The girl looked familiar. Had he seen the painting before? He didn’t think so, and yet... He glanced down at his wristwatch and realized he needed to leave. He almost reached in his pocket for a cigarette, then remembered he didn’t have any with him, so he reached in his other pocket for the alternative: a lemon candy. However, he didn’t find a lemon candy. Instead, he found the stalk of a rose. What was that doing in his pocket? He had a thought, and glanced up at the painting to see that his thought was correct; there was no rose stalk in it. A weird coincidence. But something was tickling the back of his mind, something that was telling him that it wasn’t a coincidence. There was a reason he had the rose stalk and the portrait didn’t…

Suddenly a scene briefly flashed in his head, like a vision. He was running, holding on to the rose, looking… for something. What did that even mean? When did that happen? Recently? He started to pace, trying to remember, but he tripped over seemingly nothing and fell, and as he fell, he remembered being pushed to the ground by… someone. He couldn’t remember who. He pushed himself up and glanced around, embarrassed, but there were few people in the gallery now. Nobody had noticed his trip. He scratched his head, and suddenly words popped up in his mind, with other flashes of memory. He was standing in a strange world, talking to the painted girl. “Say, Ib, have you heard of macarons?” Now he was being pushed… into a toy box? “They’re these pastries shaped like hamburgers.” He was with the girl in front of a broken painting, holding a lighter and confronting another girl, one with blond hair. “And just the other day, I had one at a café, and it was sooo tasty!” The painting was gone, and so was the blond girl. In her place was a pile of ashes and a palette knife. “It was really, really good! Even the cream wasn’t too sweet! So, uh, if we get out of here…” Here? Where was here? Was ‘here’ the place where he used a handkerchief to bandage his hand? “…could we go there together?” The girl was asleep on a bed. A black diamond-shaped bed. He was shaking her, but she wasn’t responding. “No, wait.” He was running, holding the rose. “We will be going there!” The bare rose stalk was sitting in a vase full of water, and he was pushed over and fell. “And we will be getting out!”

Garry reached in his other pocket  to find a white lace handkerchief with blood on it. In the corner was embroidered the name Ib. Tears were flowing freely down his face as he whispered, “…I promise…” He looked up at the portrait. “I promised you we’d get out together… And I broke it.” Guilt took free reign of his emotions. “I’m so sorry! This is my fault…!” He suddenly realized people were staring at him, and he ran, his feet seemingly leading themselves, back to where the mural was. But it wasn’t there. There was no empty wall where it had been either; the whole area it had been in wasn’t there anymore. As if it had never even existed. He was startled by an announcement over the gallery’s P.A. system.

“We are sorry to inform our guests that it is now closing time. We kindly ask that you vacate the premises, and we thank you for coming to visit the Guertena exhibit today.”

He had to leave now. He didn’t even have a choice. He stood still for a moment, trying to clear his face of tears and get his emotions in check, at least temporarily. When his face was dry, he slowly walked down the stairs and out of the doors, hearing a cheerful “Thank you for coming! We hope to see you again!” coming from the reception desk as he left. He reached the sidewalk, and began the long walk home as a solitary tear slid down his cheek.


	7. Promise of Reunion

Garry blinked his eyes open and looked around. He was standing on the upper floor of the art gallery. For some reason, he couldn’t remember what he had just been doing. He walked down the hallway, glancing at various pieces of art, when one in particular caught his eye. He stopped where he was and stared at the giant rose sculpture. The sculpture made him feel sad, but he didn’t know why. He stepped closer and started to study it, trying to figure out what it was that brought out the emotion in him, when he felt a little tug on his coat. He turned around to find a little girl who looked about eight or nine staring up at him.

“What are you looking at?” He guessed she wanted him to explain it, but he didn’t really know how.

“Hm? Well, let’s see… It’s a rose sculpture, I guess…” He faced the work again. “…When I look at this sculpture… I feel somehow sorrowful… I wonder why?” He suddenly realized who he was talking to. Why was he telling this to a stranger? Especially a little kid like her. He turned to apologize. “Ah, I’m sorry if I said anything to trouble you, Ib…” He blinked. “Wait, what?” Ib? Where did that come from? He didn’t know anybody named Ib. “Who’s Ib?”

“I am.” The girl was staring up at him. Garry was surprised.

“What? That’s your name? Your name’s really Ib?” She nodded. Confusion took over the surprise. “That’s the strangest thing… I mean, I don’t know you at all… It just kind of came out… How odd.” And yet, the more he looked at her, the more familiar she seemed. “But… actually… Have we, perhaps, met somewhere before…?” She had a confused look on her face. This was awkward. Garry found himself looking anywhere but at her. “…My, look at me, asking you such strange things…”

He glanced at his watch. He had to leave. Good. This situation was getting more awkward by the second. He looked back at the girl named Ib. “Never mind what I said. …Well, bye.” He turned abruptly and began walking away. He reached in his pocket for a cigarette, then remembered he didn’t have any, so he reached in his other pocket for the alternative: a lemon candy. But he didn’t find a candy in his pocket. There was… a scrap of fabric? “Hm?” He stopped walking and pulled it out of his pocket. “What’s this…” White lace. “…a handkerchief? When did I get this…” The day was getting weirder and weirder. He felt a tug on his coat again. He turned around to find the same girl behind him. “Ah… Is this yours?” She nodded. Something on it caught his eye and he looked closer at it. “…My word, it’s true… ‘Ib’… Your name’s right on it. But why is it in my pocket?” Then he noticed something that gave him chills. “Plus, there’s blood on it…”

Suddenly a scene flashed in his head briefly, like a vision. He remembered… something. A small something. “I was… I was… wounded… On the hand… and…” It was slowly coming back to him. “A girl… A girl gave me her handkerchief…” All of the pieces were coming together now. “Yes… this handkerchief was given to me as a gift… A gift… from Ib!” He looked down at the brown-haired girl, a smile on his face. “Ib! I remember now… We were together back there…” He frowned slightly. “How could I have forgotten? It was so important! We stuck together through that bizarre gallery…” He remembered everything! “Chased by strange statues… And Mary too, right?” He looked down at Ib, realizing that she might not know what he was talking about. “Ib… Do you remember?” She shook her head. He had to remind her… What would shake her memory? “Ah! Remember when you got back my rose for me, Ib?! And the floor covered in eyes, and the room full of mannequins…” She still looked clueless. What else was there…? “And also…” The candy! The lemon candy! “When you fainted, Ib! I gave you some candy!”

She reached in her pocket, and her eyes widened. She pulled out the candy, still in its wrapper. She blinked a few times, staring at it, then broke into a huge smile. She remembered! “It’s hard to believe even now… But it must have happened, right?” He smiled. “Ib… We got back safely! We did it!” He had kept his promise. He chuckled happily and then remembered the time. “There’s so much more I want to talk about, but I’ve got to get going…” He realized he was still holding the handkerchief and started to give it to her, then saw the blood on it. “Ah, uh, Ib… Is it alright if I keep this handkerchief a while longer? It wouldn’t do to return it as it is… I’ll have to… make it clean, and then give it back.” He stuck it back in his pocket. “Because… we will see each other again!” He turned to walk away, and looked back at Ib, who waved at him cheerfully. He waved back, then headed downstairs and out the gallery entrance, humming happily to himself as he headed home.


	8. Left Behind

“What’s this big mural… ‘Fabricated World’?” Garry suddenly realized what the painting was. “Hey, isn’t that… The former gallery?”  Was this the way out? “Does that mean… If we jump into this, we’ll go back there?!” He touched it to see if his hand would go through and confusion flickered across his face when it wouldn’t go through the glass frame. “But how are we meant to jump into a painting…?” Suddenly, a bright light flashed from the painting, causing Garry to close his eyes for a second. When the light was gone, he opened them to find that the frame had disappeared. “Ib, look! The frame…! Now might be our only chance…” He put his hand on it to see if he could go through, and a smile quickly spread across his face when it sunk into the painting. “This is really it…!” He looked down at his companion. “Let’s get you home, Ib.” He crouched down to her level. “C’mon, I’ll help you in.” Ib nodded and he gently picked her up and swung her over and into the painting. “Alright, now it’s my turn.” He froze when he heard a familiar giggle coming from the hallway. He snapped his attention to his left to find a blue doll; he was sure that it was the same one that had been following him around earlier. “Not you again… I don’t have time for this!” He turned back and immediately shut his eyes as another bright flash illuminated the room. He opened his eyes to find that the frame was back. “Wh… What?! No…!” He shot his hand forward, only to recoil it in pain when it slammed against the glass frame. The giggling came again, and it sounded closer. He tried to put his hand through again, making sure he was gentle this time, and his heart sank when it stopped on the frame. “…I really can’t get through…”

“Garry?” His attention was brought to the brunette that was still inside the painting. “Garry, what’s wrong? What happened? Why can’t you come through?”

“The frame’s back… It’s blocking the way.” He looked at the frame, trying to see if there were any holes in it, anything that might give him even a small chance of getting back, and he almost jumped out of his skin when giggling came from right under his feet. He looked down to see that the doll was right in front of him, leaning up against the wall. There was a familiar splash of paint as words appeared on the wall next to it.

 _You took too long…_ Garry took a step back, not wanting to have anything to do with the doll.

“Garry, what do I do?”

He looked back up at Ib, trapped in the painting. “Ib… Go on ahead. I’ll find another way out.”

Ib’s eyes widened. “But-”

“Ib, trust me. I will. I promise.” She glanced down uneasily. “I have to get out anyways. I still need to give your handkerchief back, remember? And I promised I’d take you to that café to eat some macarons.” He thought he saw the beginnings of a grin on Ib’s face. Her eyes met his. “And I don’t break my promises. Trust me. Go on, I’ll catch up.” The grin was gone. Ib slowly nodded, and turned around and started to walk. He heard a short scream as she suddenly fell, disappearing from sight, and he ran forward, trying to get through the frame. “Ib!” It was quiet. He pounded on the frame. “IB!!” Nothing. He tried to push away the thought that he might have sent her to her death and started frantically pacing around the painting, looking all around the frame, trying to figure out how he could get the frame off without damaging the painting itself. He had to get to Ib. He had to see if she was okay. Another splash interrupted his thoughts and he glanced down.

 _Look at the painting itself, silly!_ He was hesitant to do anything that the doll would suggest, yet he glanced up at it anyways to see that there was a change in the painting. There was now a small brunette child walking, holding hands with two slightly familiar figures. Her parents. He smiled as relief flooded his body. She was okay. But the relief faded away as he acknowledged the fact that he couldn’t get out anymore. He heavily sighed, defeated. He was stuck here in the gallery. There was another splash.

 _You’re here forever now!_ Garry stared at the words on the wall, and felt anger slowly make its way into his body. No. No, he would not give this doll any satisfaction. He stood up straight, determined. He would find a way out. He promised her. And he didn’t break his promises. He continued walking, searching, ignoring the splashes behind him.

_You’re one of us now!_

_Where are you going?_

_You won’t find it._

_It’s impossible._

_You’re here forever now…_

 

 

 

There was a boy dashing through the hallways of the gallery, jumping at every sound. He had no idea where he was. He thought he was in an art gallery in the middle of the city, surrounded by people, but this was different. There was nobody here, and all of the paintings tried to attack you. Especially the lady paintings. He glanced behind him to see that a red one was still chasing him, then cried out when he tripped and he fell, dropping his orange treasure. He picked it up quickly and scrambled into a corner, failing to get on his feet. He turned around to find that she was practically right on top of him, and he curled into a ball and shut his eyes tight, waiting. But instead of feeling pain, he heard a voice.

“Geez, what did you find this time, Red?” He opened his eyes to see that she had turned her face from him and was looking down the hallway. “Oh my… Are you… Could you be… someone from the gallery…?!” He looked up to find a tall man with purple hair and a long blue coat crouching down in front of him. He nodded. “I’m sorry that Red scared you… But I’m glad to see that you’re okay.” He wasn’t sure he could trust the man; he seemed to know the scary lady painting. But he gasped when the man produced another treasure just like his, except it was blue. The man smiled warmly. “My name is Garry. What’s yours?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyy quick little thing! So a friend and I ended up coming up with an idea for a whole story based on this little one-shot; it's called A Painting's Return, if you're interested in checking it out. If not, happy reading anyways!


	9. A Painting's Demise

Mary had to fight to keep back a smile. Even now as she and Ib were headed to the room where Garry was, she knew what they would find. She knew that they would leave without Garry, and she could grow up happily with Ib.

“…Ahahaha… Oh, sure. Sometimes… Yeah, yeah…” The two girls froze, and Mary’s heart started beating faster.

“I hear someone talking…” …Garry? But she knew the dolls had taken care of him… Was she wrong? They drew closer to the room and heard more snippets of conversation.

“…Don’t see that every day, right? I just ran out, you see…”

“Oh, I really love it. But it takes a while for sure…”

“Oh, you too? Why, we certainly do get along, don’t we? Ohohoho…”

There was something weird about what they heard. Mary could only hear Garry. Did that mean he was talking to the dolls? Did they not get rid of him like she wanted them to? Mary swallowed nervously as they stopped outside the door.

“Is he… talking to someone?” She noticed Ib hesitate as she put her hand on the door, then she pushed it fully open. Mary’s breath caught in her throat as she saw Garry, alive and well, sitting on the floor surrounded by dolls. Ib grinned and started to run towards him. Mary couldn’t believe it. “…Garry…?” He didn’t respond to either of them walking in, but instead kept talking to the dolls. Ib slowed down.

“Hoho! You’re really quite entertaining, you know that? I feel like I could talk to you about my every worry. Ahahahaha…” Ib moved towards him slowly, and Mary followed cautiously until they were standing right in front of him, but he still didn’t acknowledge their presence. “Huh! Never heard that before… Can you give me the details? No, no, I won’t tell anyone! Your secret’s safe with me!” Mary’s heart calmed down. It seemed that he couldn’t see them. “Whaaa? I don’t believe it! Really? Are you for real? ‘Cause that’s disgusting! Who’d do that to a girl? If I saw that happening, I’d tell them off for sure!” Mary saw that Ib’s grin had disappeared, and was replaced with a look of confusion. “Troubled? I know the feeling. You just feel helpless sometimes. You know you can’t run away, but nothing goes well either… Wonder why?” Garry sighed. Ib looked at Mary for help, and she just shrugged. She didn’t exactly know what was going on either, but she was comforted by the fact that Garry didn’t even seem to recognize either of them. As soon as Ib was done, they could leave. “…Yeah, that works too. It’s nice to not have to think… Just forgetting the bad things… Ahaha, oh yes! I’m with you there!” Mary sighed inwardly as she waited on Ib. She had to push things along if she wanted to get out any time soon.

“…Is this really Garry? Something’s wrong with him…” Ib didn’t respond, and Mary became impatient. “Maybe it’s a fake? I mean, the real Garry wouldn’t be here… right? Don’t you think so, Ib…?” No response. Mary stepped closer. “…Ib?” Ib slowly sat on her knees and stared Garry straight in the face. What was she doing? They needed to leave… Mary’s heart beat quickened as Garry suddenly noticed Ib. She held her breath as she watched, praying he wouldn’t recognize her.

“…Oh, my… Did you get lost? Looking for a friend?” Mary inwardly gave a sigh of relief, and noticed that the dolls looked at her as if asking why she would ever doubt them. “All the children here are just like me. So am I, of course!” She nodded a thank-you and turned back to Ib and Garry. “You should talk with us too until your mommy and daddy come pick you up!” At this, Ib stiffened, and Mary saw a tear slide down her face. Garry didn’t seem to notice as he started to laugh. Mary leaned forward, concerned, and put her hand on Ib’s back for comfort.

“…Ib, let’s go… He’s not listening to you.” Ib made no move to get up. She tried to be cheerful. “Let’s find the exit, okay?” Nothing. Mary tried to think of a way to convince her to go. “Garry’s an adult, so I know he’ll come later!” That sounded good. “Okay? Let’s get to the stairs…” Ib got up slowly, and Mary couldn’t help but start to grin, but the grin disappeared as Ib only moved a few steps back and slumped to the floor. Mary started forward, startled. “Huh… Ib?” Ib only looked at the floor, not saying anything. Mary stepped in front of Ib. “H-hey, Ib, what’s wrong? Don’t just sit there… I’m sure there’s an exit close!” Be cheerful. Maybe that’ll help. She smiled the warmest smile she could muster. “I’ll do my best for you! We’ll get out together! Yeah!” Ib didn’t even look up at her. “Ib?” Mary felt like her words weren’t even reaching her. As if she was talking to nobody. Her smile faded. “Hey! Get up!” She reached down and tried to pull Ib up, but she wouldn’t budge.

“Go…” Mary stopped and let go of Ib’s arm, and it fell limply to her side. Was Ib really telling her to go without her?

“…Ib…” She paused. “…You want me to go ahead? You’re sure?” Ib gave a faint nod, and Mary’s heart dropped. “…You dummy… I tell you, we’ll get out together…” She couldn’t have gotten this far just to have Ib decide not to go. But if that’s what she wanted, then fine. “But I guess I’ll just have to go alone!” Mary huffed and stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind her. “Ugh! To think, when we’d come so far…!” But if Ib didn’t want to go out, it was fine by her. Mary didn’t need her to have fun anyways. She’d show her. She’d have fun and grow up by herself. Yet… she was leaving behind her dream: to grow up together with somebody. With a sister. She swallowed away the sadness that threatened to make her turn back. “Whatever! I’m getting outside by myself! I swear it!” Her words didn’t even convince herself, but she made herself take each step away from the door, and eventually her walk became a run, back up the stairs to the brown area, and to the mannequin that blocked the stairs heading down. Down to the gallery. To a new life. A small smile graced her lips. Excitement started to build. Mary looked up at the mannequin impatiently. “…Can you move for a sec? I need to go down.” After a moment, it turned and moved out of her way. “Yaaay!” Even if she was going without Ib, she was still going outside! Her heart started pounding with excitement. She started to run down the now dark stairs, only slowing down when she almost fell. “Just a little more… I’m so close…!” She reached the bottom and tore around the corner, but froze when she heard a splash to her left. She slowly turned to read the words on the wall.

_Where are you going?_

Mary swallowed nervously, but turned and kept going. Nothing was going to stop her now. She was getting out. She walked by the reception desk in the dark gallery replica, and almost jumped out of her skin when another message appeared.

_Don’t go that way…_

She started running through the gallery. Keep going. Keep going.

_Come back…_

She stopped at the giant mural and stared up at it excitedly. “I’m here… This is the one!” She closed her eyes as a bright flash illuminated the room, and the frame around the painting was gone. “I can get out from here… I can finally go outside! I’ll eat lots of candy… and go lots of places…! And make lots of friends!” She backed up, and happily ran into the painting, and everything went white.

 

 

 

Mary opened her eyes and looked around. She was right where she had been before, but instead of a dark and gloomy place, it was brightly lit. “Did I… get out? Is this the outside?” Mary looked behind her to see that the painting had changed, and instead of showing the outside world, it showed the gallery she came from. A huge smile spread across her face. “I… I did it!” And she didn’t even need Ib’s help. She ran through the halls, expecting to see crowds of people in them, but they were strangely empty. “Is there anyone here…? Is this part of the gallery too?” Not a soul was in sight. She slowed down to a walk until she found herself by the reception desk, in front of the entrance. “Oh! A door! Is that the exit?!” She ran forwards and pulled on the handle, but was surprised when they didn’t open. She tried pushing. Nothing. “Huh… It won’t open? It’s locked…” Her face fell. “What now…? I just wanna get outside…” The lights suddenly flickered off, and she turned around, startled. The sound of footsteps echoed in the halls. She gulped and began making her way through the gallery, heading back to the mural. But when she reached the hall where it was, it had disappeared. The whole section of the hall it had been in was gone, as if it had never existed. Red paint was on the walls.

_Deep in the darkness_

Mary turned around to see giant letters on the floor.

_COME MARY_

The little light that there was in the gallery dimmed. Her nervousness made a fierce knot in her stomach, and she began hurriedly walking through the gallery as the sound of footsteps followed her. The lighting dimmed further.

“…Is someone… there?” She looked around and saw no one, yet the footsteps continued. “…Just in case…” She pulled out her palette knife and kept walking, looking for an exit. More paint appeared.

_No going back. No going anywhere._

But Mary didn’t want to go back. She wanted to go out into bright sunshine and laugh and play with other kids and have a family and grow up. She found a giant rose sculpture, and her simple nervousness became fear when she saw that it was a yellow, wilted rose.

_Your heart is fabricated…_

The lighting dimmed.

She looked around, terrified for the first time. She wanted someone to be there with her. Anyone. “I’m scared… Help me…” No one came.

The lighting dimmed.

She began to run through the gallery, desperately trying to find anyone to help her. Anything that might be an escape from this scary, fake gallery.

The lighting dimmed.

She could hardly see. She tripped over something and fell flat on her face. The footsteps became louder.

The lighting dimmed.

She pushed herself up and somehow found a wall, and put her back up against it, holding out her palette knife as if to protect her.

The lighting dimmed.

She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. She wanted to curl up into a ball and disappear from this place.

The lighting dimmed.

She had to keep going. She had to find a way out. She pushed herself off of the wall and blindly ran through the halls.

The lighting dimmed.

She couldn’t see anything. It was pitch black. The footsteps disappeared. “No…” A clock ticked somewhere. She stopped and frantically looked around. “Noooo…!” She couldn’t get out. She couldn’t get anywhere. “What is this…? I can’t see a thing!” The ticking grew louder. “Why… Why is it like this? It’s supposed to be bright and fun and…” Tears slid down her cheeks. “And full of people outside! Why is it just me here?!” She ran again, crying. She desperately wanted someone to be there. Someone with her. To save her. “Ib… Where are you…? I’m lonely…” Her running slowed. “I’m so scared… Help…” Anyone. “Ga… Garry…!” Please! Help…! “Somebody…” But nobody came. Mary stopped, and collapsed on the floor, exhausted and scared.

 

“…father…!”

 

No answer came, save the ticking of a clock.


	10. Sacrifice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ending is based off of the fan made Sacrifice ending of the "Green" Edition of Ib, which has been taken off of the internet at kouri's request. You may notice some inconsistencies with the way this is written and the way I've written my other chapters, and that's why. So, with that in mind, enjoy! Or at least, enjoy a sad ending as much as you can enjoy a sad ending.

She had to find them. Before they got out. Before _he_ got out. She ran through the toy box, her heart pumping faster and faster as she couldn’t find them anywhere. She eventually gave up on finding them there, instead running for the exit, hoping that she wouldn’t be too late. Time was running out. Through the door, downstairs, upstairs, around the corner and-

There they were, ready to leave her behind. She ran towards them as fast as she could.

“I’M NOT LETTING YOU LEAVE!” She pulled out her pallet knife and lunged at Garry, but she screeched to a halt when Ib stepped in her way. Garry reached to pull her out of harm’s way.

“Ib! Don’t-!” But Mary was stopped, staring at Ib. She soon had to turn away so she couldn’t see the look in her eyes. What had once been kind and friendly and happy was now so terribly, terribly sad. Mary hated it.

“Please get out of my way Ib. We’re leaving together, and to do that…” She turned back and glared at Garry. “He has to stay here.” Nothing moved. Mary stepped closer to Ib. “MOVE!!” Ib simply looked down. Mary couldn’t believe it. “Y… You…” She had finally found a real friend, and that friend didn’t even want her. She dropped the pallet knife to the ground as tears welled in her eyes. “You’d really chose him over me, Ib?” She looked at Garry, the man who stole her friend from her, the man who was staring at them both with wide eyes, not knowing what to do. Ib pulled out her rose, calling Mary’s attention back to her. He finally stepped forward.

“Ib?” He reached to put his hand on her shoulder, but she stepped away from both of them, staring intently at her rose.

“What are you doing?!” Mary was frozen to the spot. Ib reached her hand up and grabbed a petal.

“Stop! You’ll hurt yourself!” Garry reached towards her. Mary couldn’t make herself move; she could only stare in horror as Ib began tearing petals from her rose.

“IB!!” She didn’t even realize she had said anything for a minute as time stood still. There was one petal left on the rose. And Ib didn’t touch it. She and Garry shared a glance of relief, which was cut short as Ib suddenly pushed them both backwards. Mary stumbled back and gave a short cry as she tripped over the edge of the painting, and fell in. As white consumed her vision, she saw a single rose petal fall to the ground.

 

 

 

Mary blinked open her eyes to see a different version of Fabricated World in front of her, depicting the gallery she lived in all her life. So they did get out. She felt someone at her side, and turned to see Garry next to her. His eyes were still closed, but they opened after a few moments. She stared at the floor, knowing what had happened.

“Odd, I don’t recall what I was just doing…” She knew he wouldn’t remember, but hearing it forced her to shut her eyes tight to keep tears in. Garry turned to her. “Hey!” He crouched down. “Are you alright, sis?” She didn’t even realize she was sitting on her knees. How long had she been like that? She swallowed, and attempted to steady her voice.

“Garry, I don’t feel too well…” She had to leave. She couldn’t stay here. “Can we…” She stood up, her voice coming back. “…go home now?” Garry stood as well.

“Oh dear, we probably should.” He held out his hand, and Mary took it. They began walking towards the exit, Mary purposefully not looking at any of the paintings. Garry broke the awkward silence between the two. “I heard one of the sculptures broke on the way here. A shame, really. You’d have loved it. It was a great big statue of a red rose.” Mary’s breath caught in her throat. “Don’t worry, though. We can always come back here another time.” He looked back at her and stopped when he saw the look on her face. “You look sad… Is something wrong?” She looked up at him. How could he not remember anything? Weren’t the two of them inseparable? Ib was even going to leave with him, yet he couldn’t- He was crouched in front of her again, reaching forward to wipe away a tear. She just shook her head.

“No, my… My…. Tummy hurts.” Garry seemed relieved at this and stood back up.

“Poor Mary, I keep telling you to not get so excited when we’re out.” He seemed to think for a moment, then a grin grew on his face. “We could stop at a café on the way back. Would you like that?” Mary shook her head.

“I don’t feel hungry.” Garry’s grin fell.

“Not your usual cheerful self at all, are you?” He turned away, and suddenly got a peculiar look on his face. He began walking towards a couple that were looking at the couch piece. Mary followed, and her heart jumped to her throat when she realized they were Ib’s parents.

“…I don’t know, this one doesn’t make much sense to me.” The man turned around to the apparent siblings behind him. “Hm? Is there a problem?” Garry suddenly seemed to realize how weird it was to just walk up and stare at people, and he hurriedly looked away.

“Ah, no, i-it’s nothing… I just thought I’d seen you two somewhere before…” The man chuckled.

“Don’t worry, I get that a lot.” Mary noticed the woman glance at her.

“Oh, is this your sister?” Mary stared at the ground again. “Ah, there’s no need to be shy, dear.” Garry laughed.

“Don’t get the wrong idea, she’s usually a real troublemaker!” The man laughed at this.

“Ha, I bet she is!” His smile faded, but only slightly. “Actually, we once thought about having a kid.”

“We just never really got around to it.” Mary had to work to keep her eyes from watering. They did get around to it. They had a daughter. They had a daughter who was nine years old, who loved bunnies, whose name was Ib, who cared about both of her friends enough that she sacrificed herself so neither would have to stay behind. Garry sighed.

“Eh, I’ll bet it’s hard work.” Not with her. Not with Ib. She was the most gentle, kind person Mary had ever met. Mary realized she had tears rolling down her cheeks. They had to leave before she lost it.

“P-please Garry…” All three adults looked at her, and the mother- but she wasn’t a mother any more, was she? The woman bent down, concern on her face.

“Oh my! What’s wrong?” Mary couldn’t speak. Not without bawling. Fortunately, Garry came to her rescue.

“Well, she feels sick.” The woman tutted.

“Poor thing.” She reached into her purse. “Here, dry your eyes.” Mary’s eyes widened when she saw what she was being offered.

“…A handkerchief?” She slowly reached out and took it to be polite, and wiped her eyes. Garry put his hand on her back.

“Sorry about this, I’ll just be taking her home now.” The man looked at his watch.

“Come to think of it, we’d better be going too.” The woman stood back up straight.

“Ah, yes! Can’t be late!” They started to walk off, and the woman turned back to Mary. “You keep that handkerchief safe in your pocket, okay?” She smiled. “Don’t lose it!” Then they were gone. Garry patted her back.

“They were nice, weren’t they, Mary?” She didn’t reply. Garry sighed, then took her hand and started to lead her again. They reached the stairs leading to the first floor when Garry suddenly stopped. “Hmmm…” She looked up at him to see him staring at something. A painting. “I don’t believe I’ve seen that painting before… It seems familiar, but…” He turned to her. “What do you think, Mary?” She turned to look at it as well, and her stomach dropped. It was Ib, tangled in rose vines, with her eyes closed and tears sliding down her face, yet she was wearing a small smile. Mary walked closer to read the title through blurry vision. _Goodbye_. She collapsed on her knees and burst into tears, unable to stop the sobs as Garry stood behind her in shock, not knowing what to do. He eventually decided to at least kneel down beside her and rub her back, and when he did, he thought he heard her saying something, but he wasn’t quite sure. When he did decipher what she was saying, a sadness welled up in his chest that he couldn’t quite explain, nor was he sure why it was there in the first place. After all, it was just a name that he didn’t even know.

“Ib…!”


	11. Doll Room

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so I know this isn't actually an ending, but I've been watching a lot of Ib videos lately (yesterday) and I couldn't stop thinking about the doll room, so... yeah. This will probably be the only one that's not an ending, so after this, it should be your regularly scheduled programming! Or as uh. As regular as the updates get, anyway.

Garry froze as the door shut behind him, and a chill made its way down his back. Dolls. Those creepy blue dolls were everywhere in this room, staring at him. He looked around the room and was about to just turn and leave when he spotted the last ball of paint on the floor across the room, under a huge blank canvas. The dolls had conveniently made a path for him to walk straight to it. He gulped and made his way slowly across the room, not taking his eyes off of the dolls, who, in return, didn’t take their eyes off of him. He reached down and picked up the ball, giving a small sigh of relief as it disappeared.

“That’s seven of them…!” He abruptly turned and walked very briskly toward the door. He didn’t want to stay here any longer than he absolutely had to, so it was with great pleasure that he opened the door to-

Wait.

It-

“Huh…?”

The door was locked.

“No way… why?!” Garry nearly jumped out of his skin when words suddenly splashed on the door.

_Let’s have another treasure hunt… Who? Who? Who has the key?_

“What is…” A bell toll echoed through the room, cutting him off. He turned back, looking over the dolls, and felt a small drop of sweat roll down the side of his face. He didn’t see any of the dolls holding a key. “Wh-What?! What now?!” The room shook, almost causing him to fall down, and when it stopped, he could’ve sworn that the temperature had dropped several degrees. The dolls continued to smile at him. “This is bad… Where… where’s the key?!”

A bell tolled, and he noticed a huge blue hand reach up out of the painting and grab the edge of the frame. He jumped back up against the door, trying to think of what to do. Maybe it was similar to what had happened earlier with the doll who had followed him around and the red ball of paint. Maybe the key was inside one of the dolls.

A bell tolled.

Another hand joined its companion, and he saw the top of a huge head peek out. He didn’t have much time. He kneeled down to the first doll he saw. It looked normal. The one next to it, however, had a slightly bulging stomach. He reached for it.

A bell tolled.

He slightly ripped the doll, and a pebble fell out of its stomach. “What IS this?!” But he didn’t have time to think about it. He put it down and ran over to the next doll.

A bell tolled.

He pulled at its fabric, and immediately dropped it when tons of blue paint splattered out of it. He looked around frantically, trying to find another doll with something in it.

A bell tolled.

He finally found one and tore it open only to find it stuffed with hair. “Auuugh! Gross!!” He threw it down and ran around the room, looking.

A bell tolled.

He realized it had gotten darker; a huge shadow was over him. He turned to look behind him and fear momentarily froze him when he saw the huge blue doll, Red Eyes, coming out of the blank canvas. And it was coming towards him.

A bell tolled.

He jumped into action, ripping open every doll he could find, whether it had a bulged stomach or not.

A bell tolled.

He finally saw a glint amongst the fluff inside a doll. “Yes! The key!” He sprinted towards the door, shoved the key in the lock, twisted the knob, and-

 

Everything went black.


	12. Together, Forever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woooaaahhh an update wow! but no really ok so several months ago somebody wanted me to write something happy for mary since literally everything i've written about her has her sad at the end. I did not want to write this ending tbh, since it's basically the expected thing for a happy mary, but after months of no ideas, i decided what the heck i'll do it. to any that still want something else for mary to be happy, i am still going to try and think of something new. but until then or until i post something else, happy reading!

Mary was crouched behind a sculpture, waiting. Specifically, she was waiting for Ib to come around the corner. After destroying Garry’s rose, she’d immediately come running to the “Fabricated World” painting in the dark gallery. She’d wanted to go ahead and jump through it and leave, but something stopped her. She had a feeling she needed to wait and make sure that Ib actually got out first. After all, she wanted to grow up with Ib; what would be the point of leaving if, say, Ib got lost and never made it out? Better safe than sorry, at least.

Her heartbeat sped up as she heard footsteps echoing in the stairwell, and she bit her lip to keep in excited giggles as Ib rounded the corner. She ducked down to avoid being seen, and waited as the footsteps went past her. She slowly peeked back up, and when the coast was clear, hopped over the rope circling the exhibit she’d been hiding in and walked slowly to the corner the painting was around. She poked her head out from behind it just in time to see Ib climb into the painting. Now there was no lip biting; she laughed out loud as she ran to the painting.

This was it. This was really it. She’d finally get out of this dark place she’d always called home and be somewhere that was always bright and happy and lovely and she was going to experience it all with Ib. She took a step back before running and leaping into the canvas, shutting her eyes tight as everything around her went white.

 

 

Mary realized she had stopped falling. She opened her eyes to see she was standing in front of the painting, but it had completely changed. Instead of depicting the world she’d always wanted to be in, it showed the world she’d always been in. She looked around excitedly, taking in everything. The bright lights, the people walking around, some in couples, some in groups, and some by themselves, the low level of chatter, the soft music playing, the light colors, everything.

She took a few hesitant steps away from the painting, as if she wasn’t sure this was actually real. That she’d actually made it out. But the steps became slightly faster and more confident as nothing changed. She made her way through the small crowds, getting a few interesting looks, and headed down the stairs. She wanted out. She wanted to see what the outside was like _so_ badly. But as she entered the lobby, something stopped her. Two somethings.

Ib’s parents.

Or they weren’t just Ib’s parents anymore, were they? They were hers now, too. Her course changed from heading towards the doors to heading towards the couple, and Ib’s mother -her mother- happened to turn and see Mary coming, and she smiled at her. Mary couldn’t help but light up at the sight; she looked so pretty!

“Hello, Mary. Are you enjoying the gallery so far?” her mother asked. Mary could only nod in response as her mind blanked. This was the moment she’d always dreamed of: meeting parents. Ib’s- no, _her_ \- father had turned towards her as well, a playful gleam in his eyes as he spoke.

“See, I told you that you’d like it; Miss ‘art-galleries-are-too-boring’.” Her mother lightly slapped his arm, but she was grinning at it, too. Mary looked down in surprise as her stomach rumbled. She started to speak, but stopped when she realized she’d get to say a word she’d always wanted to. She looked back up happily as she said a phrase she’d never said before.

“Hey, mommy! What’s for dinner tonight?”

Her father lightly scoffed and shook his head as her mother spoke. “Come, now, Mary… talking about dinner already?”

She blushed a little, slightly embarrassed, before replying, “Well, it’s ‘cause I’m hungry!” She glanced around to see Ib making her way down the stairs. “…Ah!” She ran over to her and took her hand with a smile. “Welcome back!” She and Ib walked to their parents together. “Hey, I found Ib!” she called out.

Their mother looked at Ib with an almost relieved smile. Had they been looking for her maybe? “My word, Ib! Where did you get to?” Her expression hardened a bit, but there was still that caring warmth in it. “Your mother wanted to go see the exhibits with you…”

Their father shrugged with a relaxed smile. “Hey, it’s all right. Maybe Ib just wanted to see the exhibits by herself in peace!”

Mary nodded and glanced at Ib. “Yeah! That’s it, huh, Ib?” Ib hesitated for a moment, then nodded as well while their father spoke again.

“…Well, in any case. We should get going soon. Mary’s feeling hungry already, it would seem.”

Their mother consented. “Yes, and your mother’s feeling a bit parched. Let’s see if we can find a café.”

Mary almost jumped in place. “Yaaay! Café! Café!” She faced Ib, who was staring off into space, looking as if she was concentrating on something. After following her line of sight to see that she wasn’t looking at anything, she took her hand, which got her attention. “Ib, hear that? A café! I can’t wait to see what they have!”

“Okay, let’s go!”

Mary squeezed Ib’s hand. “Yeah!”

 

 

As the four sat around a table in the small café they’d found, they discussed the day.

“The Guertena exhibition was quite something…” her mother sighed.

“Yep…” their father agreed. “I bet Ib and Mary learned a lot from it too, huh?”

Mary nodded as she grabbed another macaron. “Yeah, it was the best! Right, Ib?” When she got no response, she turned to see Ib staring at something in her hand. It was a piece of lemon candy. Her eyes widened as she remembered Ib telling her about Garry giving it to her earlier. She froze for a moment, before quickly reaching out and taking it, putting on a cheery demeanor. “Ooh, candy! Gimme!” Before Ib could even react, she’d popped it in her mouth. After a second, she decided she liked lemon. “Teehee… tasty!” She glanced up to see that their parents hadn’t noticed; they were talking about something else quietly to each other. A moment passed and a thought struck her. “…Hey Ib. What do you wanna play when we get home?” A smile made its way across her face. “Ooh, I’m getting excited just thinking about it!” She turned back to Ib. “Promise me, from now on… We’ll always be together, Ib!” Ib took a moment before softly smiling back.

“Okay.”

Mary munched happily on the macaron. This was gonna be so great! She’d get to play with Ib for as long as she wanted, she’d get to share secrets with her, she’d get to be best friends with her, she’d get to _grow up_ with her, and there was no Garry to stop her.

To her, it was the perfect ending.


	13. Race to the Finish

The stupid thing was in the way.

In _her_ way.

Mary stood in front of the red-clad mannequin, staring at it, frustrated.

It wouldn’t be long until Garry would be up here, if the dolls didn’t manage to keep him away. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust the dolls, but… She was _so close_ now, and she didn’t want to risk anything happening that would take away her chance at living an actual life.

“C’mon, please?” The mannequin didn’t budge. She glanced back nervously at the doorway, half-expecting Ib to reappear at any moment, and she couldn’t have that. Ib still was unaware that she was friends with the pieces of art, and Mary intended to keep it that way. If the brunette ever found that out, it couldn’t be long until she discovered that Mary herself was art.

Art that was getting rather impatient.

She huffed as she stomped her foot. “You can’t keep me out of my own Sketchbook! It’s not fair!” Still no movement. “Look, please? _Pretty please?_ ” Nothing. “…Don’t you want me to be happy? If Garry… If Garry catches up, I… Everything I’ve worked for… it’ll all be wasted, I…” Small, hot, irritated tears began to form, which only seemed to make things worse. “Just let me have this! Ok?! I wanna live, too!”

A moment passed, and it seemed like the mannequin woke from a sleep as it suddenly jerked to life and moved about a foot to the left. Not much, but it was enough.

Mary blinked back the tears as a smile grew on her face. “Thank you! Thank you so much!” she exclaimed as she backed up, then turned and ran out the door. “Ib! Ib!” She froze as she saw Ib about to open the door that lead downstairs, having already unlocked it. No, no, no. That lead to Garry, she couldn’t-

Red eyes met blue, and a silent moment passed.

“Yes?” Ib asked.

“I uh- I- I…” Mary stuttered. “I f-found… The mannequin, it’s moved. We can go out that way!”

“Oh!” Ib’s expression seemed to brighten a little, and the blonde gave an inward sigh of relief as her companion left the door alone and trotted towards her. Mary turned to hide the fact that she had started to panic and kept telling herself that everything would be ok as they headed towards the room. She couldn’t resist peeking in first and making sure that the mannequin really stayed put and that there was still room for them to pass, and any panic from before was gone when she saw that it had. Her smile returned as she gestured for Ib to follow and headed down the stairs.

 

 

Where was it? _Where was it?!_ Hair, blue paint, bugs, everything _but the key_ was inside these dolls. Garry risked a glance back to find that the giant doll was now starting to pull itself out of the painting. For a second, fear paralyzed him as he found himself looking up into what he could only describe as an almost hungry expression painted with a jagged smile and wide eyes that was only growing closer with every second. He shook his head. He had to find the key, and fast. He turned back towards the crowd of blue faces and darted towards the nearest one.

Rocks.

The doll was promptly thrown back to the floor as he grabbed another one, his franticness increasing. There were even _rocks_ in these dumb things but there wasn’t a single-

_Key!_

“Yes! The key!” Garry couldn’t help but shout as he shot back up. He ran straight to the door, shoved the key in the lock, and tore out of the room. A last glance told him he’d been not a second too late; the giant doll was looming over the room, and every single doll was staring at him. He slammed the door and took off running.

Now, he was not a man for endurance. So naturally, he stopped running only a few seconds later, but he’d been able to run fast enough that he was a good distance down the hall, by the locked door. He leaned heavily on his knees, panting.

“I… have had enough… of that ROOM!” he exclaimed between gasps of air as he caught his breath. “Why did I… have to… deal with that…!” First that one doll wouldn’t leave him alone, trying to get him to stay with it and be his buddy, then that giant doll kept showing up too, and… then he had to go through _that_ on top of it. He straightened up slowly as a thought crossed his mind. “But… thinking about it, Ib might be in just as terrifying a situation… We’ve got to regroup soon!” He glanced around and stopped as something caught his eye. The last locked door. “Huh…?” He walked over to it before pushing it slightly. It creaked open. “The door’s open…!” he mused to himself. Upon entering, he found it was a staircase leading upwards. Rather ominous-looking stairs that led upwards. He shivered as he thought about the doll room, and the fact that it had also been a locked door that had mysteriously opened. Who knew what lay up ahead? Something even worse than those dolls? “…I’ve come this far, but now I’m wondering if I should keep going…” he thought out loud. “But I’m not sure what good going back will do… What to do…” Then he thought of Ib again. Ib, who was on her own with that… that painting disguising herself as a human being. She could be in any sort of trouble and need his help, and here he was, contemplating whether he should even go up a flight of stairs. “Argh, I’m so indecisive! I’m terrible, really!” He needed to go to her. Make sure she was ok. “Just keep moving! There’s no other option!” He stepped forward and started bounding up the staircase.

“...Please, let her be safe!”

 

 

Ib stood there, staring down at the small box drawn in crayon. Just… staring at it.

“Do you think we should open it?” Mary asked. The only response she got was Ib moving her eyes from the box to the writing above it. ‘Pandora’s Box’. So that left Mary waiting. And she hated waiting, not when _he_ could burst in at any second. She knew he hadn’t been held up for long, and Ib had unlocked that door before they left- _why didn’t she go lock it back? …no, it would’ve been too suspicious-_ and she was certain he was on his way and here she was just waiting for Ib to open the box. “Look, why don’t I just open it?” She reached down and grabbed the lid as Ib’s hand grabbed hers. She paused, and looked up at Ib. The brunette shook her head, a confused look on her face. “…What? Don’t you wanna find out what it is?”

“…I… I don’t think so. …Wasn’t Pandora bad? What if this is bad, too?” While Ib may not have remembered the story quite correctly, the point was made. Which meant Mary needed to convince her to open it. Which took time.

“…Look, every… everything that we’ve done so far, even if it hurt at the time, kept us going. Right?” She was trying as hard as she could to mask the impatience. “So… even if it is bad, it’ll… it’ll help us eventually. Right?” Ib glanced away.

“I… I don’t think it’s a good idea. Let’s… let’s keep going.” She turned and started towards the door.

Mary, on the other hand, became rather indignant, and rather than following Ib as expected, she promptly reached down and pried the lid open.

The resulting sound and flash of light made Ib suddenly turn back, shock on her face, while Mary simply squinted at the light. The symbols she’d drawn flew around the room before scattering, and then there was silence. Mary looked over at Ib.

“…See? That wasn’t bad, was it?”

A quiet moment passed.

“I… I guess not.”

Mary smiled. “Well, let’s go see what else there is here!” she exclaimed before bounding past Ib and out of the room.

 

 

Everything was solved. Everything was already in place and solved, and there was nothing for him to do here.

He didn’t understand it.

Garry wandered around the brown area, having checked all of the rooms but one. He guessed he wouldn’t find much in it either, but nonetheless, he needed to know. He pushed on the door and it creaked open, revealing…

An empty room, save for one mannequin. And a painting on the wall.

He stayed in the doorway, confused. There should be something else that…

Wait, there. Behind the mannequin. It was a small stairwell, and the mannequin was blocking it. Or, most of it. Which struck him as odd. Normally, if they would try to block a thing, they’d completely block it. Even though as it was, he still couldn’t fit through the gap between it and the wall, but-

It was big enough for a small girl to get by.

He immediately dashed over to it and shoved it with all of his strength, making the way bigger so he could continue. He needed to get to her as fast as he could.

He ran down the stairs.

 

 

“Ah-!”

Mary stopped and turned back towards the sound. Ib was clutching her arm, and behind her, and arrow was whizzing off into the distance.

“I-Ib!” she started as she went over to her. “Are… Are you ok?!” Ib took a moment, then nodded as she stood back up straight, hand still over her arm. A red petal fluttered to the ground.

It didn’t go unnoticed.

“U-uh, c-c’mon, let’s… let’s keep going! Maybe there’s a vase up ahead?” Mary tried being positive, speaking with a small, uncertain smile that grew as she kept talking. “We’ll get your rose fixed up soon!” Ib nodded again. Mary held up a key. “Let’s try this on the door at the top of the sketchbook. Maybe that’s where the toybox and the pink key are...!”

They travelled silently to said door, and lo and behold, it unlocked. As the painting knew it would.

She was rather proud of this room, really. An artistic feat. It changed as you travelled through it. On the way through, it was just the empty room with the toybox in it, but on the way back, it was the way out, as well as… her painting. But vines covered that, and there were plenty of harmful things in the toybox itself, so there was no way Garry would get past them and get to her painting. She’d… she’d be safe.

…

They needed to move quickly.

“…Is this the toybox?” came a quiet question from her brunette companion.

“I think so.”

Ib peered into it. “…It’s really deep… How are we going to find the key in it?”

Mary grinned. “Simple!” she answered before jumping in.

 

 

There was nothing here, nothing but the smell of crayons and more already-dealt-with things. Pandora’s box was open, pressing on switches did nothing, and there was only one locked door.

But it was still a _locked_ door. Which meant they hadn’t gotten to it yet. Which meant they were still here. Something caught his eye, and he glanced down, and what he saw caused his heart to skip a beat.

It was a red rose petal.

He bent down and picked it up, hand trembling as thoughts surged through his mind; thoughts of being too late, thoughts of Mary standing over an unmoving Ib, thoughts of the child that he’d gotten so attached to and so protective of desperately needing his help. He put it in his pocket and entered the nearest building.

There was a sign that he’d seen at some point that said there was a pink key in the toybox… He could only assume this was that toybox. Peeking into it, it looked rather deep. He couldn’t even see any toys in it; it just faded into blackness. He sighed. Only one way to get it, then. He gripped the edge and swung one leg over, then the other, and started to slowly lower himself down. Only when he was as low as he could go and still could not touch the bottom did he realize that it wasn’t exactly the brightest idea that he’d had. He tried to pull himself up, but his fingers slipped, and he fell.

 

When he came to, he had a terrible headache. His hands went right to his head, gripping it as tight as possible as if it would make the pain stop. It didn’t, but he still held his hands there as he sat up and looked around.

Dolls.

Dolls were the first thing he saw.

There were mannequins and mannequin heads, too, but there were so. Many. Dolls.

A shiver shot up his spine, and he slowly pushed himself up. They didn’t move. A thought occurred to him, and he checked his pocket. Still had his rose. Good. A few more glances revealed one exit, across the room from him. He swallowed nervously, staring back at the sea of faces, trying to contemplate how to cross it. Eventually, the fear and pressure got to him, and he just started running towards it as the works suddenly jumped to life and chased after him, pulling at his rose and trying to trip him up as the exit drew closer and closer. More wounds kept appearing, and tiredness quickly settled in, but he couldn’t stop. He had to keep going. Had to… Had to make it out.

And eventually, he did. Panting heavily, and on shaky legs, he soon found himself leaning up against a wall outside of the room with all of those… _things_ in it. For some reason, they’d stopped chasing him as soon as he made it out, shying away from the doorway almost as if they weren’t allowed to be there.

Which was fine by him.

After a moment, he looked down at his rose.

One petal left.

…Maybe there was a vase up ahead.

Maybe there wasn’t.

But Ib was.

Somewhere, she was up ahead. With Mary. He had to get her to safety. And if that meant pressing past pain and tiredness, then… Then he’d have to deal with it. He wasn’t the same scared man that he came into the gallery as. Having someone to look after, someone to protect… Kind of had a funny way of making one braver.

He pushed himself off of the wall and started trudging forward.

 

The vines caught his attention. They were rose vines. And… it looked like they were covering something. A passage? More stairs? He couldn’t quite see through them. But something about them wouldn’t leave him alone. He walked up to them and looked them up and down. Like the rest of this weird area, they were in crayon. So… did that mean they were art too?

…He did have a lighter. Maybe…?

He reached in his pocket and pulled it out, then flicked it on and held it up to the vines. And just like paper, they burned away.

Stairs. Of course.

He sighed and headed up. When he reached the top, he was disappointed. Just one room, and nobody was in it. The only exit was the one he just came from. But there was something…

Oh.

There was a painting at the end of the room, and it was…

It was Mary’s.

And right now, as far as he knew, she was still with Ib.

He needed to find them, and they weren’t here, and that was all he needed to know.

He turned and stumbled back down the stairs and out the door.

 

 

“C’mon! I bet it’s just up ahead!” Mary couldn’t help but almost shout as her excitement grew even more. She was so close- _so close!_ \- to getting out of this place she’d been trapped in all her life, trapped as a child, unable to grow, and without friends ( _real_ friends) and family. She’d been dreaming of this almost as long as she could remember. She was now running, running with Ib trying to keep up as they made their way through the dark corridor and up the stairs, around the corner, and there it was. The painting that she just _knew_ was the way out.

“Mary…” Ib panted as she caught up. “You… you run really fast.” Mary only smiled as she stared up at the painting. Fabricated World.

Both girls shut their eyes at the bright light that shone from said painting, and when they opened them, the frame was gone.

 

 

What was this? The gallery? Yes, this was the lobby. That’s right. So maybe the exit was somewhere in here?

Part of him hoped so, but another part really didn’t. If they’d already found the exit, then…

He shook his head, which proved to be a mistake as it made him dizzy. He hadn’t managed to find a full vase, leaving his rose with still only one petal.

He did straighten up a bit when he heard something. Laughter. Girl’s laughter. It was coming from upstairs. He started towards them determinedly, and began the slow ascent.

He didn’t notice the mannequin behind him.

 

 

“So, do we just… hop in?” Ib asked. Mary shrugged.

“I guess so.”

Ib grabbed the side of the painting and attempted to pull herself up, but failed miserably as she promptly fell backwards on her rear. She blushed terribly as Mary helped her up, laughing.

“Not like that! Here, I’ll hold my hands like this and you can stand on them and I’ll push you up, ok?” Ib hesitated, then nodded. Mary cupped her hands together and Ib carefully placed her foot on top, and after a short struggle, the two managed to get the brunette inside the painting, where she turned to find Mary was attempting a running start. She had a good deal more luck than Ib had, as she made it in on the first try. The blonde took a deep breath. “Well… We’re almost there!” They both turned towards the white expanse behind them. Honestly, it scared Ib a little bit. She wished that Garry was there with them. He somehow made her feel safe.

“…Mary, are you… are you sure Garry’s ahead? What if he’s behind us and we’ve left him behind?”

The addressed froze for a second before bringing up a nervous smile. “Y-yeah, he’s gotta be ahead! We haven’t seen anywhere else he could’ve been, right?” Ib thought about it for a moment. She wished they could’ve gotten that mannequin that was blocking the door back to Garry to move. For all she knew, he was still stuck behind those vines, waiting. And then there was-

The door!

“Mary, what about that door? The one we got the key for on that rainbow bridge? We never checked that room. Maybe he was-”

“IB!!”

Mary froze and Ib immediately turned back towards the familiar voice. There was Garry, on the other side of the painting.

“Ib, you’ve… you’ve got to…”

Mary interrupted. “Ib, we’ve gotta go. Now.”

Ib looked back at her, confused and alarmed. “But we need to help Garry in!” She turned back and started to reach down towards him when movement behind him caught her eye. “Garry! Look out!!”

He didn’t even fully turn around before the mannequin swiped.

Ib’s eyes widened as a blue petal fluttered to the ground, followed by a bare rose stalk.

“…Garry…?”

He didn’t respond as he slumped up against the painting and slid down to the floor.

Tears started to form in Ib’s eyes.

“Garry!!” She felt a hand wrap around her arm, and she was jerked backwards as everything went white.

 

 

Blue eyes opened to see not the dark grey, almost black walls that they were used to, but bright white walls, decorated with all sorts of paintings. Paintings that she’d known all her life.

And there were sounds- so many sounds!- that she hadn’t heard before. She looked around, almost overwhelmed, at the sound of music, at the sound of people talking, chattering, laughing, and a child crying in the distance.

She made it. She actually made it.

“Mary?” She turned to find Ib standing next to her. Mary hoped Ib wasn’t going to ask about- “Are you ok? You look scared.”

…Ib didn’t remember. If she had, there would’ve been no way she’d be concerned. She’d be storming off, or- or yelling at her, or- or- or something. The fact that she wasn’t and that Mary made it out and that everything was actually going her way for once and she could have the happy ending she’d always dreamed of caused tears to appear. Ib’s eyes widened.

“Mary! Don’t- don’t cry! What’s wrong?”

Mary just shook her head as a smile grew and she wiped the tears off her face. “N-nothing’s wrong, I… I promise.”

Ib stood there for a second before slowly nodding. “…Ok.” Then she brightened up. “I know! Let’s see if we can get Mom and Dad to take us to a café. I know you love cafés; that should cheer you up.”

Mary nodded as well. “Yeah, that would… that would be nice.”

She took Ib’s hand as the brunette led the way, wiping away more happy tears as they headed downstairs, towards their parents and towards the exit. No Garry, no roses, no memory of the gallery, just Ib and her together, forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not quite satisfied with the ending, but i'm not entirely sure what else to do with it, so. oh well. i had fun writing it anyways.


	14. Unforeseen Circumstances

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Figured by this point I'd have run out of ideas, but you can thank Mike Inel and his lovely Ib/Mad Father/Witch's House animation for sparking the inspiration to write Ib again. But even with inspiration, I was extremely fortunate to manage to come up with an idea to use that inspiration for- and to actually be able to run with it! A friend of mine gave me another idea, but it's a vague one, so I don't know if I'll be able to do much with it. But it's one that piques my interest, so I'll definitely give it thought! In the meantime, enjoy this addition! I know it's not exactly an ending per se, but it's at least heavily implied, so... it counts, right?

They were here. They had to be here somewhere. Mary was nearing a running pace through the sketchbook, desperately trying to find Ib and Garry. They hadn’t gotten the pink key yet, so maybe they were- yes! Yes, there they were! Just entering the room with the toy box. She neared the door and slowed down. She needed to be sneaky about this so that they wouldn’t… A grin spread on her face, for luck was on her side. They hadn’t closed the door all the way.

“-any rate…” She perked at hearing Garry’s voice. “It said there was a key in there…” She silently pushed the door open and lightly stepped into the room. Their backs were to her, and they were looking in the toybox. “…I can’t say I see the bottom.” She bit her lip in joy at having found them before they escaped and started sneaking towards them. “Is there really a key in there, I wonder…?”

Now right behind them, she put her hands up and rather triumphantly said, “Wanna see?” before shoving forward with all of her might. She managed to catch the two off guard enough that they both lost their balance entirely and fell forward, right into it. Garry even yelped as he tipped over the edge. She giggled and stepped up to the box, taking hold of the edge and peering over it. It didn’t do her much good, as she couldn’t see into the bottom either, but it was what she felt like doing at that moment. She waited a minute or so before hopping over the side herself and disappearing into the box.

What she didn’t expect when she reached the bottom was for the two to be unconscious. She guessed they must’ve just landed wrong and… Oh, no- oh, no what if she-

She ran over to Ib, heart pounding, and leaned down next to her, praying that she would hear a heartbeat or breathing or something to let her know that her sister-to-be was still alive.

And she relaxed and let out a pent-up sigh she didn’t even know she was holding once she did notice Ib breathing. So she was ok. Mary sat up. Garry, on the other hand…

She stood and walked over to him. Unfortunately, he also seemed to be breathing just fine. She pursed her lips as she looked down at him. If only he’d just been good and gotten lost in that doll room forever, it sure would’ve made things a lot easier for both Ib and her. But no, he had to go and be more than the aloof, clueless adult she’d pegged him as and poke his nose in places he shouldn’t have and… and it made her so mad! He just _had_ to go and act like he was more important than just a switch-out for Mary. How stuck-up. She bent down and started digging through his jacket for his rose. She could just end it now and say his rose fell apart when it hit the ground. She sat up and crossed her arms.

She couldn’t find the rose, which meant he’d either dropped it or was lying on top of it. And for all of her strength from shoving the two in the toybox earlier, she found that knocking someone off balance and rolling over a deadweight, unconscious adult were two different things entirely. She couldn’t budge him.

Mary stood up and huffed.

Garry got to keep his rose.

Unless he dropped it somewhere… She started pacing around, looking here and there, when a chitter from across the room interrupted her thoughts. Her head turned to find a blue doll waving at her, calling her over. She answered the beckon, and hurried her steps when she heard rustling back from where Ib was. She slipped behind a mannequin and, now that she was closer, could see why the doll had gotten her attention: it had grabbed a rose. And while it wasn’t blue, it was still something she could use, possibly… Another grin began forming as a plan did the same.

She peered out from behind the mannequin to see Ib talking to a now-awake Garry. She disappeared behind her cover again and closed her eyes, excitement building. This was good- this was going her way. She heard steps- they were moving- and jumped to action. She stepped out from behind the mannequin and towards the doll, then glanced back at them. They hadn’t noticed her yet. She stood behind the doll and faced them, swallowed the nervous excitement down, and then spoke loudly.

“Ooh? What’s this? A present for me?” That got their attention. She couldn’t hide the smile that spread on her face, so she went with it and made it bigger. The doll held the rose towards her. “Yaaay, it’s so preeetty! Can I have it? Oh, thank you!” She bent down and picked it up, and at the edge of her vision, saw the other two jolt at the sight of what she now held. The doll jumped in glee at having done a good thing as Ib and Garry ran to her.

“Mary!!” the adult yelled, and she almost flinched. Almost. She looked up and feigned surprise.

“Oh! Ib and Garry! Did you find what you were looking for?” Garry gave no response, and neither did Ib. Too surprised, she supposed. She had them both beat, easily. “But anyway, lookit!” She held the rose a little higher for emphasis. “I just got this! Pretty, isn’t it!”

Garry swallowed, looking a little nervous. “Mary… That… That rose…” She looked down at the rose in her hand and widened her eyes.

“Ohhh, you mean this is Ib’s? I thought I’d seen it before!” She was playing dumb and enjoying every second of it.

“Mary, please… give that back to Ib.” Her face fell a little.

“Huh?” That was it? Did he really expect her to just hand it back over? “…I wonder…” She turned to Ib. “Ib… You want this back?” Ib nodded, her eyes wide and skin pale as paper. Mary smiled. This was perfect. Absolutely perfect. “Well… Hmmm…” She sat on that ‘hm’ for a few seconds longer than necessary, enjoying the moment and reveling in the triumph of what she was about to ask. “Wanna trade Garry’s rose?”

Here, she was taking a bet on Garry still having it. Ib had obviously dropped hers, so it was a possibility that he didn’t have it with him… But judging by how much Garry stiffened, she must’ve been right that he still had it.

“Garry’s rose is blue, right? I like red and all, but I like blue even mooore!” She gestured to her proud little creation next to her. “See? This doll’s blue! Isn’t she cute? And I know Ib likes to pet cute things!” She and Ib really did have more in common than Ib and _Garry_. Maybe pointing out some of it would help convince Ib. “…So? Wanna trade?” Her gaze shifted to Garry in time to catch a drop of sweat roll down the side of his face. He really was nervous. It took every ounce of control she had to not bounce all over the room with how ecstatic she was, and it took even more to keep her face at least somewhat composed.

Garry glanced down at Ib, and the two shared a look that, for a moment, jerked the rug out from under Mary’s feet. It was a look that replaced the ecstasy with pure jealousy, and excitement with nothing but hate for the older man. Why did she look so sad and scared? This would be better for both of them, couldn’t she see that?!

“…Don’t give me that look, Ib…” He looked away from Ib, and Mary looked at him expectantly. After a moment, still avoiding Mary’s gaze, he looked back at the other child. “Don’t worry… I’ll be fine. Just leave it to me.” She barely kept in a laugh at that statement. He wouldn’t be fine- she would see to that. If he would just- He looked at her, and this time met her eyes. “Understood. Please, give me Ib’s rose in exchange for mine.”

She met his gaze, grin coming back again.

“Really? You sure?” she asked as innocently as possible, just for the fun of it.

When he replied, it sounded like he was trying to hide a trembling voice, and he was doing a terrible job of it.

“Yes.”

And finally, _finally_ she had his rose! Losing Ib’s was alright; she’d tell the dolls to go easy on her so they wouldn’t ruin everything. But she had _Garry’s_ rose!! Not having any reason to put up an act anymore, she didn’t try to hide the laugh that bubbled up, and she turned to-

“Ib?”

She paused and glanced back. Garry wasn’t even looking at her, instead focused on his small companion that was looking rather pale and weak and…

Ib collapsed.

“Ib!!” Both cried out. Mary temporarily abandoned the thought of running off with Garry’s rose (though she tucked it in her pocket so he couldn’t grab it from her easily) and instead was at Ib’s side in an instant, and Garry was on the other. Ib was out cold on the ground.

Mary’s eyes went to the rose in Garry’s hand. It was ok, she still had all her petals on it, so why-

“Mary.” She looked further up to find Garry staring at her with a hard expression on his face.

“What? I didn’t do anything to her rose! I just wanted yours…!”

“Why… Why are you going after us like this? To scare Ib like that-!” He stood up, and she immediately did the same, pulling his rose out of her pocket and grabbing the whole bud in her hand. He stayed still and stiff, and she took a step back.

“I-I won’t hesitate! I’ll pull out all of your petals if you even try to come close!” She’d gone and pulled a smart move, letting herself put Garry between her and the exit.

They remained like that for a minute, staring at each other, before Garry finally spoke up.

“Mary… Why do you hate us so much?”

“I don’t hate Ib!” she protested.

“Me, then. What did I do, besides learn who you are?”

“You… You…!” Her fist tightened around the rose bud, and it seemed Garry noticed. “You just wanna ruin everything! Stop trying to take Ib away from me!!”

“Take her… away from you?”

“She and I are supposed to get out together! And if you’re here, I can’t do that!!”

His shoulders dropped slightly, like he was relaxing, and she didn’t like it, not at all. Somehow, it made her angrier.

“You… want to get out?”

“Yes!!!” She noticed now that all eyes in the room were on them. Specifically, her. She hadn’t told them before that she wanted to leave. Was it just her imagination, or did they look… sad? It didn’t help any. “I want… I want…!” Small tears started forming in her eyes. “I want to grow up! I want to have a family! I want to have a sister and have friends and eat food and play all day and have fun! And I want to do it with Ib! She’s my first friend!”

Garry’s expression was changing. It no longer seemed nervous or- or scared, or tense. He seemed… he seemed sad, too.

“Mary…” He was silent for another second. “Why didn’t you try just coming with us?”

She furrowed her brow. “Weren’t you listening? If you’re in the way, I can’t! I can only take someone else’s place!” She stomped her foot, getting fed up with the whole situation. She was _so close_. “I wanted to switch with you! It was supposed to be easy!!”

“Is that… what Ib wants?”

That threw her off, and took the steam out of her argument. “What…?”

He crouched down, and she tensed, but he fully sat on the floor. “You said… Ib is your friend, right?”

“Yeah…”

“Friends care for each other… shouldn’t you find out what she wants, instead of deciding it for her?”

She had no response, and simply stood, silent, as he took his jacket off and placed it over her. It was such a caring motion, and Ib actually seemed to respond to it- she shifted slightly and her expression softened. A tear trickled down Mary's face.

“I…”

Ib stirred, and Garry raised his eyebrows at the motion. The girl sat up, and upon seeing Mary, and what she was holding, looked… Scared. Upset. Sad. …But Ib was her friend, right?

“M-Mary…” She spoke. And she sounded on the verge of tears, and looked it, too. “Please… don’t…”

Mary’s own expression mirrored Ib’s. “But- this will-! Ib, this is for our good! Don’t you…” Another tear slipped down her cheek. “Don’t you wanna leave with me…?”

“Can’t you… just leave with us?”

Her face heated up and she again stomped her foot. “I can’t!!!! I can’t leave unless one of you stays, and I don’t want to leave with Garry!!!” She huffed and stared angrily and defiantly at Garry. “So you have to pick, Ib. Because…” She couldn’t say this while looking at Garry, so she switched to Ib with a softer expression. “Because I’m supposed to… to ask what you want. Because you’re my first friend.”

Ib’s hands curled into light fists, clutching at the jacket across her lap.

Silence that seemed louder than any of Mary’s yelling sat heavily in the large room.

And finally, Ib moved, and without speaking, lightly grabbed Garry’s arm. She didn’t look at Mary, instead opting for the floor.

Mary’s shoulders dropped.

“Ib… You…” Her lip trembled, and hot tears welled up. “You really… want him instead of me…?” Ib didn’t respond, and didn’t meet her eyes. She clenched her teeth as tears began rolling down her face. Her fist tightened around the bud of Garry’s rose, before loosening- Ib was her friend and this was what she wanted- before tightening again, and loosening, and tightening, and loosening. Her breath hitched as she choked back a sob. “Then… Then…!” In a fit of anger, without thinking about what she was doing, she threw the rose as hard as she could at them, which, being a flower, didn’t hit very hard. She stood there trying to gain control over her reeling mind, and once she did, she realized the two in front of her had gotten up and were already walking towards the stairs, holding hands. Mary put two and two together that she’d given the rose back, and in turn, thrown away her only chance to leave. Anger and jealousy tainted her vision red and she started towards them, only to stop- Ib had turned and was looking back at her, tears in her own eyes.

Very quietly, so quiet that the dolls that weren’t right in the middle of the room didn’t hear it, Ib whispered: “Thank you.”

Mary didn’t know how to respond.

And so she didn’t.

Unhindered, the adult and child left the toybox, and left Mary alone.

She’d been so close.

Amongst the company of dolls and mannequins that could never give her enough comfort to soothe her, Mary collapsed to her knees and began to sob.


End file.
